Universale comes home!

The big news is that although we’ve been on tap for about 3 weeks at (by now) over 25 watering holes, we’re finally doing a media event at the LATONA PUB next MONDAY, AUGUST 17 to celebrate our “opening.” Matt will be there to talk about Universale Pale and our experience launching a small, sustainable business during a severe economic downturn.

Why there? Why now? Because Matt has lived in Green Lake off and on during most of his time in Seattle, including the last nine years in our current home, and is thus a dedicated Latona patron. Because the Latona is famous for serving high-quality craft beer and nurturing the region’s microbrewery scene. Because the Latona was the first place to tell Matt they’d put his beer on tap if he ever got this thing off the ground. That covers the “there.” As for the “now,” because the promised tap opened up. Because it could have been sooner but I needed some time to get a news advisory out in hope of attracting media attention. Because the Latona turns 22 years old at midnight on the 17^th. Because there’s no time like the present.

To witness the symbolic tapping of Universale at the Latona Pub, BE THERE BY 7:00 PM and stick around until midnight to sing “Happy Birthday” to one of the city’s best.

Acting on a tip from a volunteer, Matt talked his way into being one of three beers on tap at the Seattle Boat Show last weekend. They hadn’t planned on 3 but upon tasting Universale, they threw us on and ran through an unexpectedly high number of kegs. That exposure led to several requests for kegs o’ Universale at upcoming events and parties.

By the way, they’re draining our kegs fast at Leny’s Tavern (2219 N 56th St), another fine Green Lake bar (or Wallingford, depending on which Chamber of Commerce you’re talking to).

If you vote, remember to mail in your ballot by 8:00 pm on August 18^th! I’m voting YES on Referendum 1.

Taps and Bags

I should’ve known that my pledge to blog every Monday would result in failure. My New Year’s resolution every year is to floss and drink more water and I usually bail on that by early February. Sorry if I let you down last week but I’m really trying.

So, major progress on the retail front! Matt has secured about 25 accounts at bars/taverns/restaurants around town, mostly in the north end. Find a source near you here.

If you were to stroll along 34^th and turn north onto Woodland Park Ave, N., you’d instantly notice the striking blue (not navy, sky or royal blue but handsome “Honorable Blue”) building with a sleek, stainless steel-lined doorway on your left. The first thing you’d see upon entering is a handsome, antique (1936) wooden cooler. Matt bought that cooler at ReStore and, unbeknownst to him at the time, it was already connected to our family. Its previous home was Pies and Pints on 65^th near Roosevelt (serving meat pies and cold beverages), which was owned by Vince Gallapega until he died suddenly in 2007. Vince was my very first boyfriend and my very first kiss (March 16, 1979, Arden Junior High, Sacramento, CA). He was a charismatic lover of food and beer and showcasing this old treasure is a perfect homage to his memory.

That cooler will contain growlers and (future) six-packs as soon as Mad Mike has finished refurbishing it once he has fully recovered from his crash returning from the motorcycle gathering in Hollister, CA last month.

By now you’ve received your mail-in ballot if you’re a registered voter. My guy, Richard Conlin, is not on the ballot because he has only one opponent so you won’t get a chance to vote for him until the general election on November 3^rd. While I have a lot of strong opinions about the candidates on the ballot for the August 18^th primary, I’ll spare you my thoughts on all but one very crucial ballot measure, Referendum 1. This is the Green Bag Fee and I urge you to VOTE YES. Because this is a beer blog and I already take considerable advantage of this soap-box for issues unrelated directly to our product (like domestic and civic politics), I direct you to my Facebook note to learn more about why.

Out there

Your opportunities to enjoy Universale increase by the day! It’s now available at locales as close as the Fremont Dock, kitty-corner to FBC (don’t knock the food – I can personally recommend the refreshingly un-mayonnaisey Cesar salad) and as far-flung as The Roanoke on Mercer Island. In between are the Pacific Inn Pub, The Dray, The Park Pub, Naked City, The Local Vine and soon Duck Island Ale House, the Latona Pub and where ever else Matt can charm his way into during his rounds tomorrow. See the Find Our Beer section of the site for links and more current updates.

The Phinney Neighborhood Association Summer Beer Tasting on Saturday was a lot of fun! The PNA and its “beer committee” (as fundraising gigs go, I’d say that’s got to be one of the funner ones!) put on a stellar event – great diversity of breweries, festive yet not yahoo scene, and tasty, alcohol-mitigating snacks. Too bad we didn’t win any awards. Thanks for the invite, Chardell!

It's weird to shift into the actual selling of beer. Every new account is a celebration and it was thrilling to deposit a thousand bucks today. Is this what writers experience when they finally see their novel on the bookstore shelf (that's me!)? For me personally, it's about our private life -- Matt's ambition, my hope, his talent, my fears – resolving itself in the public realm, that's the weird part. It's been like a season of Domestic Boot Camp, with early episodes including lines from me like: What do you mean you want to quit law? Um, who's going to pay for this? If I wanted to go into small business, I wouldn't have wasted my time being poor in academia and public service. I'm more into wine. I'd rather do something Meaningful.

Well, I've found meaning in this journey and Matt has followed his passion and this is our little IPO. This must be what it feels like to be in a bar where people know your name.

Cheers!

News Flash!

Universale Pale went on tap TONIGHT at Park Pub on Phinney Ridge! That's us, third from left.

Matt also delivered to The Dray on 65th in Ballard (on tap tomorrow, Thursday) and Duck Island Alehouse on Aurora at 73rd (on tap the week after next).

Assuming Matt can take a break from brewing tomorrow for deliveries, Universale will also be served at Naked City Brewery and Taphouse (Greenwood at 85th) tomorrow night.

Bottoms up!

30 kegs of beer in the walk-in, 30 kegs of beer...

They’re racking (that means filling) the kegs right now with the first edition of UNIVERSALE PALE! It’s a crisp, hoppy but not too hoppy, maple syrup & honey-colored elixir with girl-pleasing hints of malt. “Don’t say that!” Aaron yelled, as if pleasing girls weren’t a good thing to do in this heavily-populated craft beer market dominated by male consumers. “Say ‘well-balanced’,” encouraged Kemp. Matt Lincoln, our new brewer, noted the “light citrus nose.” I could try channeling Robert Parker and say something like, “classic Northwest blend of spice with a feminine malt roundness on the back-end (he’d probably say ‘finish’).” But beer is difficult to describe – you just know what you like. And I think you will.

Ta da! Monday, right on schedule. Photos forthcoming.

In Business!

Howdy Folks!

I’m sorry I’ve been so lame about posting recently. I’ve been pretty busy managing Richard's re-election campaign, tending to Matt’s excruciating sciatica, performing quality-control on the batches in the tanks, and swimming, biking, and triking with the kids. But because it appears that people actually read this blog, I hereby commit to posting EVERY MONDAY, if not more frequently. I’m also loading content on the rest of the site so you’ll have something new to read during lunch. So here’s what’s going on:

Test Batch Two, a beta run of our flagship Universale Pale, was delicious and was served at the Fremont 5K and Briefcase Relay and the Washington Brewers Festival at St. Edwards Park to appreciative crowds. It’s gone now. I’ve never been around commercial beer production and I’m amazed how fast a 30-barrel tank will disappear – you people are lushes!

We brewed what Matt is proud to call the first batch of true Universale Pale a week ago and it’s ripening in the fermentation tanks right now. If all goes well with those little yeasties in the next couple days, we’ll be kegging it this week and getting it out to our very patient accounts soon thereafter. And growlers will be for sale in the retail space – price and sales hours to be announced.

This may come crushing disappointment to you – it is to me, that’s for sure – but we have come to the decision that the tasting room will not open any time soon. With so many bars and restaurants eager to sell our beer, we need to focus on our wholesale business. We have a gorgeous space with splendid views in a totally happening neighborhood full of beer lovers but we don’t have the bandwidth right now to do everything it will take to make the tasting room structurally sound and comfortably appointed. So we’re putting off that part of the business until production, sales, and revenue are regularized. It’s a shame to miss out on this summer’s drinking season but the good news is that if we play our cards right, we could have everything, including the roof-top deck, ready for next summer.

This does not mean that we’re putting off the PARTY – on the shop floor, amidst the tanks. Details forthcoming. You can dress for the occasion in one of our swanky T-SHIRTS -- including cute women's cut -- available now.

By the way, on June 17, King 5 did a piece focusing on our symbiotic relationship with our sub-letter, Blue Marble Energy, who uses our spent grain to make their product. Check out our TV kiss here.

If you’re a member of the 36th Legislative District Democrats (FREMONT, Queen Anne, Ballard, and beyond), I urge you to attend their endorsement meeting on July 9th and show your support for the greenest guy on City Council, Richard Conlin (of course).

Come and Get It!!

Greetings!  Just a quick post to let you know that our beer will be available at the Fremont 5k and Briefcase Relay beer garden TODAY, starting at 6:00 pm at Adobe.  We’ll be serving $2.00 pints of Test Batch Two – a precursor to the currently-being-tweaked Universale.  A beta run, you might say.  So mosey on over after work or pre-run and tip back a cold one.  Comments welcome!

Got Beer?

You might be wondering what’s up.  Well, Seattle City Council President, Richard Conlin’s, reelection campaign Kick-Off BBQ on June 4^th was a resounding success, drawing about 350 guests. The standing-room only crowd was testimony to the respect Seattleites have for the leadership he’s demonstrated over the last 12 years on the environment; transit, pedestrian, bicycle issues; and community-building.  BTW, have I mentioned I was a policy advisor for Richard for six years and am now his campaign manager?

Also, the pair of swallows that made a nest on our porch last year, despite our 2 cats and 2 water pistol-wielding sons, returned last month and Momma laid three eggs last week.

Regarding beer, the first batch (see blog post on May 23) had some kinks but is still delicious and ripening in one of the 30-barrel fermentation tanks.  Matt brewed a second run on Friday, May 29 which will debut at the Fremont 5k and Briefcase Relay on June 12^th.  NOTE: this will not be the Universale Pale.  Rather, it’s the second run on a brand-new (to us) system and Matt is still tweaking the process and recipe of our future flagship brew.  I’d say one more batch and he’ll have it nailed.

We’ve got 200 growlers, 600 pint glasses, 130 limited-run commemorative T-shirts (also in cute women’s cut, thank you) and significant obstacles to overcome on the retail side such as, but not limited to:

      1)    We have no cash register, credit-card thingy or door into the retail space (but there is a                big hole in the wall on Woodland Park Ave. where the door will go).

2)    We need to beef up the stairs leading to the tasting room (with the future best view in Fremont).  This is not a big job but we have no time.

3)    We need to acquire some stools and install the 10” wide, Douglas fir, former Ballard High bleacher boards which will serve as the temporary bar looking out onto the afore-mentioned view.

4)    And I want to punch 3 holes into the south wall of the space for big, openable windows in order to expand the view onto the ship canal, Aurora Bridge and Olympics.  This is a big job. It will require some structural work and electrical re-routing, subsidized in part by the Fremont Dock Company. Thanks, Mike and Suzie.

Matt and his crew are consumed with production yet we’re both scrambling to create the space to enjoy our product as beer season settles over Seattle.  So bear with us, donate a cash box, and sample our evolving blend at the upcoming Fremont 5k and Art Car Blow-Out – both sponsored by Fremont Brewing Company.

 

 

... Can't Ya Smell That Smell?

That’s right, folks.  That delicious aroma rising from south-eastern Fremont and settling over the neighborhood on this gorgeous, windless day is not the transfer station.  Finally, after a brutal week of tank-cleaning (man, those kettles were foul – c’mon, Red Lodge, ya could’ve cleaned the system after that last run!), final hook-ups, testing, fixing of leaks and jerry-rigging of equipment – FINALLY Fremont Brewing Company is, in fact, BREWING!!

I feel like a woman in her 43^rd week of pregnancy on her way to the hospital. It’s taken a lot of blood, time, and sweat to get here.  Matt hasn’t seen the kids awake in 4 days.  He’s cut up (minor brushes with sharp things this time, his severed tendon is healing well), under-slept, and suffering terrible pain in his behind (not me; his sciatica) caused by climbing all over they brew house.  Kemp had to take a welding class (!) to learn how to build the grain platform.  Pumps have broken and pumps have been loaned (thanks Mike!).  The pilot light on the water heater mysteriously went out yesterday afternoon.  We would’ve been SOL at 4:30 on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend were it not for the grace of the owner of Ballard Natural Gas who came to the rescue and spent 4 hours here taking the thing apart and putting it back together again.  And Rick’s been commuting across the lake from his real, paying job to stay until midnight helping out.  Mike from Georgetown Brewery was here last night and again today, contributing some professional street-smarts.

This is but a sampling of the awe-inspiring goodwill  that has made today possible.  A future blog post will be devoted to acknowledging another fundamental piece of this enterprise: the generosity of our investors.  So, today if you’re close by, take a deep whiff and smile that the dream is coming true.  

FBC featured on KUOW 94.9 fm

There's so much happening that I don't have time for a real post but I wanted to let you know that Seattle's NPR station, KUOW 94.9 (www.kuow.org), did a show on green business that featured Fremont Brewing Company last Wednesday, May 13th.  Steve Scher introduces FBC at about 9:40 am or 40 minutes into the show. If you missed it, You can find an audio link at:  http://www.kuow.org/program.php?id=17535.  The interest in Seattle was so enthusiastic that KUOW has decided to run the show again tomorrow SATURDAY, MAY 16TH. Irene Noguchi who produced the show says, "KUOW Presents will be playing it tomorrow (Sat.) around 12:30, I think."  So you can stream it live tomorrow (on your way to the Gorge for the Doobie Brothers, Allman Brothers and Dead show starting at 3:30) or download the podcast at said link.

PS: Gas inspection passed today, CIP (Clean In Place) tomorrow, test batch Sunday.

pre-May Day Post

I’m about 10 days late but while it’s still April, I want to draw your attention to FBC’s phone number: 420-2407.  Get it?

 Anyway, the last major piece of this project is falling into place today.  The refrigerator guys are hooking up the compressor coils to the cold room.  Which means we can hook gas up next week.  Kemp is mounting the grain auger (interesting visual, huh?) to pull the grain out of the grain room and into the mash tank.  By mounting, I mean he’s up in the forklift box and hanging the motor from the 28 foot high ceiling – precision work.

 To pretty up the place for the 40^th birthday bash tomorrow, I moved the piles of flotsam and jetsam all over the place and consolidated them into one room.  Now no one can find anything!  And today I get to mount the forklift box to wash all the tanks so that the ambient lights for the party will reflect off the gorgeous towers of stainless steel.  Then I’ll have to clean the bathrooms –volunteers, anyone?

 Meanwhile, 100 tap handles are in production and will soon be available to fine drinking and dining establishments across town and beyond.

 All this is happening in the wake of Matt’s surgery a couple days ago.  Did I mention that he slit his wrist (accidentally!) cutting zip ties with a box cutter?  Didn’t follow the constant admonition we give our sons to always cut away from themselves when chopping veggies with our Henckels.  He severed the flexor minor tendon his left wrist.  The surgeon made a two-inch incision to retract the tendon and stitched the two ends together with titanium thread – fancy!  After six weeks of physical therapy which he’s sure to do religiously, he should be almost back to normal but his rock star career is shot.  (Speaking of, if anyone has extra tickets to the Dead at the Gorge, let me know: sara@fremontbrewing.com.)

I’m about 10 days late but while it’s still April, I want to draw your attention to FBC’s phone number: 420-2407.  Get it?

 Anyway, the last major piece of this project is falling into place today.  The refrigerator guys are h

ooking up the compressor coils to the cold room.  Which means we can hook gas up next week.  Kemp is mounting the grain auger (interesting visual, huh?) to pull the grain out of the grain room and into the mash tank.  By mounting, I mean he’s up in the forklift box and hanging the motor from the 28 foot high ceiling – precision work.

 To pretty up the place for the 40^th birthday bash tomorrow, I moved the piles of flotsam and jetsam all over the place and consolidated them into one room.  Now no one can find anything!  And today I get to mount the forklift box to wash all the tanks so that the ambient lights for the party will reflect off the gorgeous towers of stainless steel.  Then I’ll have to clean the bathrooms –volunteers, anyone?

 Meanwhile, 100 tap handles are in production and will soon be available to fine drinking and dining establishments across town and beyond.

 All this is happening in the wake of Matt’s surgery a couple days ago.  Did I mention that he slit his wrist (accidentally!) cutting zip ties with a box cutter?  Didn’t follow the constant admonition we give our sons to always cut away from themselves when chopping veggies with our Henckels.  He severed the flexor minor tendon his left wrist.  The surgeon made a two-inch incision to retract the tendon and stitched the two ends together with titanium thread – fancy!  After six weeks of physical therapy which he’s sure to do religiously, he should be almost back to normal but his rock star career is shot.  (Speaking of, if anyone has extra tickets to the Dead at the Gorge, let me know: sara@fremontbrewing.com.)

Getting There

Hello Beer lovers! We're getting close!! Carbonix. which sells C02, nitrogen and helium (no N02, in case you were wondering) has been here all day hooking up the carbon dioxide and oxygen tanks. I wonder if I should ask him to comp me some helium for my son's birthday party balloons (he turns 5 tomorrow, 4/16). Earlier this week, the two liquor tanks, reused from Georgetwon Brewing, arrived. It was fun to watch Matt, Devin and Kemp unload those two 450-gallon tanks with the tiny forklift and some really fat straps. Keith, our ass-kicking plumber (and stainless steel welder) has been here all week attaching copper pipes to the wall and running the glycol lines. Matt got a new/used stereo to keep the place rocking all day. Our friend Dan is throwing his 40th birthday party here so Matt's brewing a test batch of beer on the old "husband land" system. That's what I called Matt's original set-up that was first in our garage and then in the outside shed (the boys are very happy to have that newly empty space for a fort to sneak their Easter candy). Practice makes perfect, you know.

And the checks keep rolling in -- which is what I predicted (see my Feb. 6 post below). In this down economy, people want somewhere to invest their money that's not gonna disappear before their retirement. And rather than buy gold bars (which I hear is the all-time safest investment), they want something cooler, colder, tastier -- like gold beer.

So the place is looking like a real brewery, with all this stuff around. Very little room for scootering which was fun in the big empty space of yore. It's anticipated that Matt will run the first batch in two weeks. First, he and our oldest son are going to the Craft Brewers Conference in Boston (and to hang with his brother and see his new niece). When he gets back, they will run the test batch and beer will follow shortly. Yummy. I'm going to keep my text brief and fill up this space with some exciting visuals for you. But first, if you're jonesing from the action of the last campaign season and looking for a worthy cause to get involved in, consider supporting the reelection campaign of my old boss, Seattle City Council President Richard Conlin. He's an effective leader with politics that any sustainable beer fan could get behind. Check out http://www.richardconlin.com/

That's all, folks.

Welcome Home

What’s new? The brew house (is that the Northwest equivalent of a New England sugar shack?) arrived safe and sound last Tuesday, March 24th. (That’s also the day, BTW, that Michael McGinn announced he’s running for mayor. And now former Sonics player James Donaldson is officially in too – after months of teasing and musing about which branch of government he’d like to work in, if any. This campaign season is shaping up to be very interesting. The PI folded too soon. The buzz over this three-way will surely sell lots of advertising space for, like, the PCC, LEED-certified condos, and other things appealing to a certain demographic profile. That, plus the million council candidates and Peter Holmes running against City Attorney Tom Carr, could float two dailies and several blogs for months.)

But I digress. (Love that verb! Way more official-sounding than ramble.) Where was I? Oh, yeah. Brew house is home and we also now have the water filter and grain handling equipment. The liquor tanks (that hold the hot water) arrive next week. Most very importantly, we’re fully licensed! The Feds came through last week and the Washington State Liquor Control Board finalized (Thanks, Tom) the state license TODAY! We can sell beer (legally)! Now, we need to make some beer…see pictures of the unloading and stay tuned for the pictures of the brewery in final position. Most excellent.

So the whole kit&kaboodle is ready to be hooked up and then the real fun begins: the opening party (you thought I’d say brewing, did’ncha?), setting up the tasting room, promoting sustainability and the vitality of Fremont, and, of course, drinking Matt’s clean, crisp beer.

Montana Dreaming

  It happened! He's back (see photo) and the brewhouse is on the way home. Tuesday is the big day! Thanks to the guys and gals at Red Lodge Brewing for helping and sharing a large amount of their tasty IPA, the Broken Nail.

Bringing It All Back Home

Right now, as I write (it’s 1:30, Wednesday March 18, 2009), Matt’s sitting in a bar in SeaTac drinking a beer and waiting for his plane to Billings, Montana. From there he’ll rent a car and drive to Red Lodge, a small town about an hour and a half outside Billings in the mountains on the highway to Yellowstone and also home to Red Lodge Brewery. Matt is finally TAKING POSSESSION of the brew system he bought from them now that Red Lodge’s new facility is built and they can use their new, bigger system.

I say finally because we first met the gorgeous, 15 bbl system last September when the whole family road-tripped to MT in order to check it out (and visit my uncle who lives in Billings while we were at it). Since then, Matt has signed the lease, acquired fermentation tanks and a bunch of other equipment, laid plumbing, redid the electrical, painted, built a wall and more (much thanks to all the volunteer and cheap labor!) – everything but brew beer!

The Plan: Matt arrives in Billings at 6:30 tonight. He’ll drive straight to Red Lodge and help the crew brew one lasty: a triple batch of IPA because they don’t want to leave their customers jonesing while they get their new system up and running. Tomorrow, Thursday, Matt will spend all day helping to clean everything so that it’s ready to be loaded on a big truck (with a crane, my sons would add) on Friday the 20th. He’ll supervise the loading and fly home that night and the truck will arrive in Seattle on Tuesday, March whatever.

It’s happening! Stay tuned…

Construction Update from Matt

....and for those that are following the hardcore construction, we've put together the walk in cold room. Note the green, very green paint job. Painting the cold room was a slog but Devin from Blue Marble stepped up to the task and, three coats later, got the job done and done well. Thanks, Devin. Rick and I put the cold room together one weekend and then Kemp and I fine tuned the rest until she was just right. Kemp (see photo of Kemp trapped on the fork lift) and I then set about, with Devin's help, constructing decking for the glycol chiller and compressor, which were put into place yesterday. Today, Devin, Kemp and I picked up the antique refrigerator (see picture) from the ReStore and planned out her restoration. This refrigerator will hold our growlers for sale in the retail area and we are very excited to restore it to it's former glory. It was made sometime in the 1930's here in Seattle by Marine Refrigeration and was previously in use at Pies and Pints in the Roosevelt neighborhood. Coincidentally, Pies and Pints was started and run by one of Sara's childhood friends from Sacramento. You can also see in the picture below, Mike, our landlord, driving the forklift and hauling out the concrete blocks left behind from cutting the trench drains. Mike came early in the morning and worked all day, even providing the dump truck and driving said death trap to one of his lots where he is storing them for a future use. Thanks, Mike. Our hats off to Mike and the Fremont Dock Company (our landlord) for believing in what we're doing and for going the extra mile. We've also finished demoing (thanks, Devin) the area that will be our temporary retail sales room and will begin build out next week. Kemp is drawing up a material list and our friends at Bitters Co. will help with the design. With friends like these, it's easy to believe that this community will pull through these hard times. We're humbled. So, now the big news: the brewhouse is set to arrive on March 23rd and we're very ready to make some beer. Why? Because Beer Matters. So, a big thanks to Kemp for working in the trenches EVERY DAY through surgery, kidney stones and some really bad music; to Rick for picking up the ball on marketing and for digging, building and endless planning; to Devin for painting everything and not breaking too many of our tools, to Sara for holding down the fort, the blog and putting up with me and all this insanity, to Terry, Mike, Roger, Manny, and Bret for helping out with all the little questions that are a big deal and for allowing us to treat their company like a big brewery Costco; to our investors who have put their faith in our vision and to the many volunteers who have pitched in with a smile. We would not be here today without each and every one of you.

Random updates: we've singed up to sponsor the Fremont 5K which is the Friday night before the Fremont Fair and are the proud sponsors of the Seattle Art Car show during the Fair.

Well, that's a little more than a construction update, but there it is. Next week, we'll dial in the last of the plumbing, get our new gas service and spiffy up our retail section. Thanks for staying tuned...now back to Sara's regular blogging.

Killer Green Beer

I’ve never thought about running my own business because I’ve never had any good ideas of things to sell and I’m not one of those can’t-work-for-anybody-else sorts of people. I’ll work for the Man no problem – as long as I believe in the mission and values of said (figurative) Man. And for the most part, I’ve been perfectly happy executing the vision of someone else, most recently my former boss, Seattle City Council President Richard Conlin.

Being a complacent cog in a machine, I haven’t focused on the challenges of running a small business -- if it’s too hard Working For Yourself, then be a happy little cog like me or quit complaining. Until now. You might remember that my husband, Matt, is starting a brewery from scratch, in the midst of a financial catastrophe, with 2 kids at home and a wife whose marketable skills are inversely related to her education. Plus, Fremont Brewing Company is striving to produce beer as sustainably as possible, which can mean more expensive equipment, ingredients, and all that.

Mayor Greg Nickels has spoken a lot about both the importance of climate protection and supporting small businesses. So, using my contacts at my old place of employ, I set out to see what bennies were available for small businesses trying to do the right thing. Loan assistance for small green businesses? Nope. City Light did a site visit and told us that we could get a rebate by using certain lights and VSD pumps to conserve energy. But overall, there’s no single program for small businesses that are either producing green technologies or trying to be green in their operations, procurement, facility, etc.

So I’ve drawn up an outline for a City of Seattle program for a One-Stop-Shop for green-inclined businesses who need technical assistance (in designing their space or figuring out which equipment is most energy efficient etc.); information on incentive programs for water, electricity, and gas conservation; building permit expedition; and so on. Most of this is already available but it’s hard to access because there’s no integrated program to go to – businesses have to contact SPU, OED, DPD, City Light, etc. And who has time for that when you’re trying to Make Money? Even though my program has gotten positive feedback from City staff, there’s no cash to fund anything new these days.

In the meantime, businesses should check out the Seattle Climate Partnership (http://www.seattle.gov/climate/partnership.htm). It’s a group of businesses that pledge to reduce their carbon footprint. And Fremont Brewing Company will be the very first brewery to sign up (paperwork in progress). Stay tuned…

About Construction

Greetings! Sara here again.

OK, so I do know a thing or two about construction. I spent a great deal time before my sons went to preschool (they're now 4 and 3) cruising the city looking for construction sites. For some reason, Nels and Gabe are more construction-crazy than other kids, according to moms I know. I'd look for a crane and drive toward the base and park for hours while we watched the goings-on. Depending on the weather, we'd watch from inside the car or on the roof of the car with a picnic because sidewalk space is often limited and I was never successful at talking the GC into letting us into their little on-site trailer. I’m sure Turner and Crutcher-Lewis think of me as that crazy lady in the white station wagon.

Aside from my curiosity in the natural sciences (botany, geology, etc.), before kids I wasn’t much interested in things having to do with the physical world (civil and mechanical engineering, for example). I was more into theory, politics, and social science -- leave the building stuff to people who can’t handle the realm of ideas (how’s that for elitist!). Thanks to my sons, that has changed and I've learned a lot though their eyes. Here's a sample:

1) Demolition is the funnest to watch. Seeing huge excavators ripping apart buildings as if they were made of legos really pumps me up. I'll never forget those weeks a couple years ago when the Green Lake Albertsons was being demolished at the same time the Vita Milk Dairy facility was being torn down. Just blocks apart, we could spend all day watching the action, comparing the machines (and, for me, the cuteness of the crew, it being summer...), and videoing the spectacle to show Dad later.

It takes enormous talent to separate the rebar from wood from cement, especially on a small site. The skill of the driver -- her precision, her delicacy -- is beautiful to watch. (Like how I oh-so-subtly snuck in that female pronoun? Part of my gender-neutral parenting.)

It would be a lot easier and cheaper to just haul it all away to the landfill. But construction and demolition waste already makes up the biggest percentage of the mile-long train leaving Seattle every day to the landfill in Eastern Washington. Reducing that load would save garbage ratepayers money and decrease the emissions of its transport. Plus, there’s a lot of reusable stuff in torn-down buildings. So even though it’s a hassle, it’s worthwhile to separate the material and the City of Seattle is working with C&D companies to incentivize even more recycling. (For more info, search for Resolution 30990 at: www.seattle.gov)

2) During excavation, everything depends on the dump truck. Each section of those double dump trucks (called truck and trailers) can hold only 3 scoops of dirt from the Hitachi ZX650LC-3, 6 scoops total and that truck is off to Pacific Topsoil or where ever to dump its load, stuck in traffic like everyone else on I-5. I know that if there's not a line of dump trucks staged on the side of the site ready to assume receptive position once the previous truck is filled and gone, the action is going to be slow. Without the dump truck, the excavators and bulldozers just move dirt around into piles, which is important but not that exciting. Either that or the crew stands around and smokes, waiting for something to do.

Getting cars off the road by providing more mass transit would make it easier for dump trucks to get to and from the construction site. Ka-ching! This is one of many policy examples that negate the supposedly irreconcilable differences between enviros and Industry.

3) It's a big drag when they discover sediment that looks to be laced with a petroleum product or some other type of unexpected toxic substance. Then everything stops while the digger guy calls the foreperson over and they get out baggies and maps to take samples and note their location. For a single-issue neighborhood activist looking to appeal an EIS, this can be sexy but for a 2 year old -- boring. And for the dump truck driver, a nice smoke break.

4) If it's a small project, the time between excavation and concrete pouring is dull -- best to find a different site. For bigger projects, however, this is the time for pile driving which is awesome to watch. I guess I never realized how extensively we alter geology, stabilizing the ground by shoving giant I-beams of steel into deep holes. And that’s piddly compared to how people managed to construct giant edifices, like the pyramids, before they had gas-powered machines. Slavery and indentured servitude. Now we have unions and Caterpillar.

What does all this have to do with beer? Nothing, but give me a minute and I’ll think of something.

Win, Win.

Sorry construction junkies, it’s Sara again so no detailed info on the construction progress except that concrete was poured into the drainage trenches yesterday, the cold room was delivered today – my birthday, btw.

Did anyone catch that guy on NPR a couple days ago talking about the recession-proofness of beer?  What did I tell you? There seems to be a lot of talk about that these days.  I wonder if the American Beer and Brewers Association (ABBA – if there isn’t such an organization, there oughta be. (That was a joke but my editor didn’t get it and told me to say the “Brewers Association” so it sounds like I know something.)) has launched some big public education campaign or something.  But I digress.  My point is simply to point out that I wasn’t just making that up in my last post.

Another thing I’m not making up is that, supposedly, the most robust recession-proof sector is green technology.  Fremont Brewing Company is hopping on that band-wagon for sure – but for all the right reasons (not just to get federal/state stimulus money or small-business tax breaks or low-interest loans – not that we would turn those down or anything if offered…).  I’ve already mentioned FBC’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and also use organic ingredients and you can read more about that stuff in the real sections of this website.  The back story is that we’ve been like this since the 80’s and finally the circle has caught up to our way of thinking. But there’s a whole other aspect of green that I don’t think Matt has mentioned.

FBC is located in an 8,000 sq. ft warehouse in Fremont.  Not needing that much space, Matt has sublet half of that space to Blue Marble Energy, a start-up that produces food flavorings out of algae and other biological matter and the by-product of the manufacturing process is gas (methane I think).

Blue Marble Energy is going to use Matt’s spent grain to make their product and power their and FBC’s operations with the gas. How cool is that?  Once Blue Marble ramps up, they’ll sell extra energy back to the grid (I’m not really sure how that works). Matt could have sublet to a kite manufacturer or a juggler or whatever but he found this company by talking to everyone who would listen about this dream to zero out carbon emissions in a microbrewery and the connection was made.

This symbiotic relationship reduces carbon emissions because the spent grain (very heavy) will not be transported somewhere for disposal or composting.  And Blue Marble’s production costs will be lower because part of their raw material is free (and right next door).  And the “waste” will be used for energy, obviously better than funneling it into the atmosphere.  Additionally, while we’re fortunate in the Northwest to have fairly clean hydropower thanks to the rivers running off our mountains, the electricity that we don’t use isn’t just sitting around.  City Light sells it on the grid to other places that might have access only to coal-generated power – bad, bad, bad.  So the energy that Seattleites don’t use because of conservation or the above-mentioned re-use of waste helps minimize the consumption of dirty electricity by freeing up more of the clean stuff for use in flat places without big rivers and lots of gravity.